Coil handling devices



May 8, 1962 R. G. HORSCROFT 3,033,388

COIL HANDLING DEVICES Filed Aug. 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR R. G. HORSCROFT ATTORNEY May 8, 1962 Filed Aug. 25, 1959 FIG. 4

R. G. HORSCROFT 3,033,388

COIL HANDLING DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR R. G. HORSCROFT BY a WKY I ATTORNEY 34933588 OUIL HANDMNG DEVHCES Richard G. Horscroft, lndianapolis, Ind, assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 25, 1959, Ser. No. 836,010 4 Claims. (6i. 2141) This invention relates to coil handling devices, and more particularly to devices for lifting a horizontally disposed coil and turning the coil to a vertical position in order to facilitate loading into a payoff cradle or onto a payoff arbor.

In handling heavy coils or reels of wire, rod or other strip material, it is often necessary to stack the coils in horizontal positions whereafter the coils are lifted and tilted to a vertical position for loading into a utilization apparatus. Great care must be exercised in tilting the coils otherwise damage occurs to the convolutions of the strip material of both the tilted coil and the remaining coils in the stack.

It is a prime object of this invention to provide a new and improved coil handling device.

A further object of the invention resides in a simple and economical device attachable to a hoist for lifting a coil from a stack without damage to the lifted coil or the other coils in the stack.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device for-lifting and tilting a coil to facilitate loading into a utilization device.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a lifting device having tines or forks that may be locked in a horizontal position for lifting a coil and then subsequently moved to a depending vertical position for tilting the coil.

A still further object of the invention resides in a coil lifting device having tines that may be selectively posi-' tioned to accommodate diflerent size coils.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention contemplates the use of a coil handling device having a pair of tines that may be selectively-moved from a horizontal to a vertically depending position. When the tines are horizontally positioned and the device is positioned on a hoist, a coil of strip material may be en- 1 gaged and lifted from a stack. A sling attached to the device is passed around the coil. The hoist is utilized to transport the coil to a utilization device, whereafter the tines are moved to the vertical position so that the sling holds the coil while being loaded into the utilization device. The utilization device may be provided with an arbor or a cradle for receiving the coil.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed descriptionwhen considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a coil handling device constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention and which shows a pair of lifting forks in position to lift a coil;

FIG. 2 is a reduced side elevational view of the coil handling device shown in FIG. 1 having a coil loaded on the forks and the forks in a vertically depending position;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. I particularly illustrating a mechanism for moving the forks toward and away from each other to accommodate different size coils, and 7 FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the forks in two positions to receive two different size coils, the coils being illustrated in phantom outlines.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 3, the coil handling de- 3,033,388 Patented May 8, 1962 Vice of the present invention is shown to comprise a frame generally designated by the reference numeral 10. This frame consists of a cylindrical standard 11 having attached to the lower portion thereof a pair of trunnions or beams 12 and 13 journalled within bearing blocks 14 and 16. Attached to and extending from the bearing blocks 14 and 16 are a pair of forks or tines 17 and 18 adapted to receive and support a coil 19 of strip material. The trunnions 12 and 13 also provide journals for a pair of annular plates 21 and 22 formed integral with or attached to a pair of shuttle blocks 23 and 24. The shuttle blocks 23 and 24 are provided with depending ears 26 and 27 to encompass the bearing blocks 14 and 16.

In order to effectuate a movement of the bearing blocks 14 and 16 along the trunnions 12 and 13, the shuttles are provided with threaded apertures of opposite hand into which are passed the extremities of a threaded rod 28 In order to limit outward movement of the shuttle blocks 23 and 24 from the rod 28, the opposite ends of the rods are provided with a pair of stop washers 29 and 31 that engage cotter pins 32 and 33. Secured to the rod 28 is a beveled gear 34 that meshes with a beveled gear 36 securedto a shaft 37 which is journalled within an apertured bearing platei38 welded within the standard 11. A hand wheel 39 is attached to the upper extremity of the shaft 37. Upon turning of the hand wheel 39, motion is transmitted through the shaft 37, beveled gears 36 and 34, threaded rod 28 to the shuttle blocks 23 and 24. The shuttle blocks 23 and 24 will accordingly move inwardly or outwardly to position the bearing blocks 14 and 16, and hence the forks 17 and 18 to accommodate various size coils of strip material 1?. Each fork is also provided with an angularly disposed centering stop 40 against which the coil may be abutted.

The rear extremities of the forks 17 and 18 are provided with apertures through which extends a cross rod 41 of a link frame generally designated by the reference numeral 42. The link frame 42 includes a pair of struts 43 and 44 and a pair of inclined braces 46 and 47. The upper extremities of the inclined braces 46 and 47 form stud shafts 48 and 49 which extend into apertures formed in a collar 51 slidably mounted on the standard 11. The standard 11 is threaded along a substantial section of its length to accommodate an internally threaded hub 52 secured to a hand wheel 53. It should be noted that the collar 51 is not attached to the hub 52 but that the turning of the hand wheel 53 causes the hub 52 to move either up or down on a standard to control the movement of the collar 51. Movement of the collar 51 is imparted to.

the link frame 42 to pivot the forks 1'7 and 18 and the bearing blocks 14 and 16 about the trunnions 12 and 13.

Secured to the inner surface of the upper portion of the standard 11 are a pair of arms of a U-shaped bracket 54. A ring 56 is positioned about the bracket 54 and is adapted to fit over a hook 57 of a hoist. The hoist may be any of a great number of commercially available designs and is adapted to be mounted on an overhead conveyor so that the coil handling device may be utilized to transport coils of strip material 19 from a storage area to any suitable utilization device such as a punch press or cable forming apparatus.

In order to understand the operation of the coil handling device, assume that the hand wheel is positioned at the upper extremity of the standard 11, then the weight of the collar acting through the link frame 42 will pivot the forks 17 and 18 into a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 1. The hand wheel 53 is turned, whereupon the hub 52 is moved down to engage the collar 51 to lock the link frame 42 and the forks 17 and 13 in position. The hoist is then moved to position the forks 17 and 13 beneath a coil of strip material 19. A sling 61 anchored by a hook 62 at- 3 tached to the standard 11 is wrapped around the coil 19. The hoist is now actuatedto elevate the hookdlxwhere after the coil handling apparatus may be moved to the vicinity of the utilization apparatus. The hand wheel 53 is turned to move the hub 52to the upperextremity of the standard 11 as shown in FIG. 2, whereuponthe weight of the coil willpivotthe forks 17 and 18? to a vertically depending position. Motion of the. forks 17 and 18 is transmitted through the link frame 42.. to the collar 51 causing the collar to'follow the movement ofthe hub. 52

along the standard 11; The coil 19will'now be supported by the sling 61 in a vertical position thus permitting the loading of the coil:into a cradle or onto an arbor. As soon as the coil 19is loaded, the sling 61' isunwrapped ears 26 and 27 or the annular plates 21 and 22 engage and.

move thebearing blocks 14 and 16ialong the trunnions 12 and 13 to position the forks 1'7 and'18 to accommodate the particular size of coil'to be transported.

The distribution of weight of the componentsis selected" so that the forks will beinan approximate horizontal position when the coil handling device is 'moved to'a stackofi coils in anticipation of'a' loading operation; The coil is: loaded on the forks so as to be concentrically located with.

respect to the center of gravityofthe device; consequent= ly, when the hoist elevates the device; thecoilismaintained in a horizontal plane thus precluding damage to the convolutions of either the lifted coil or the coils remaining in the stack. It.will.be noted from FIG. Z'that when the forks are moved to the vertical position, the

coil will be moved'to a -snb'stantially vertical position, and

because the device is attached to the hoist by the ring 56" and'hook 57' arrangement, the attendant may readily manipulate and guide the coilinto the utilization device.

his to be understood that the above-described arrangements of apparatus and construction of elemental parts are simply illustrative of .anapplication-of the principles of the invention andmany other modificationsmay. be made without departing from the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A coil handling apparatus, which comprises a frame.

having a threadedsection, a threaded member mounted for movement along said threaded section, a pair of forks pivotally mounted on said frame for supporting a coil, a sling attached to the frame and. adapted to be linked through a coil supported'on said fork, and a linkage inter connecting said forks and said threaded member for trans- 4 rnitting said movement of said threaded member to pivotal movement" of the-forksbetween'horizontal and vertical positions.

2. A coil handling device; which comprises a frame having a vertically extending threaded cylinder, an internally threadedwheel mounted on said threaded cylinder, aplurality of parallelly extending tines pivotally mounted on said frame for pivotal movement between a horizontal and a vertically depending position, a collar slidably mounted on said cylinder between, said wheel and said pivotally mounted tines, a linkage interconnected between said collar and said tines for pivoting said tines in accordance 'with the movement of said collar'bysaid wheel as said wheel is turnedto move along said threaded cylinder, and a sling connected to said frame for linking throughand'supporting a coil when 'said tines are moved' from a horizontal posit-ion to a vertically depending position.

3. A coil handling'device-adapted to -be mounted on a hoist, which comprises a-frame-having a vertically extending hollow cylinder and a horizontally extending support beam, a pairof forkspivotally and-slidably mounted on said beam, a collar slidably mounted on said vertically extending cylinder, a linkage interconnecting saidl collar and said forks, a threaded wheel on said threaded cylinder forengagingand moving said linkage to pivot said forks,

and a mechanism extending'down throngh said hollow cylinder forsliding said forks along-said beam.

4; In a'coil handling-device'for attachment to ahoist;

aframe including a horizontally extending arm adapted to be mounted on the hoist, said frameincluding athreaded cylinder depending downwardly from'said arm, a pair of'laterally extending trunnions, a pair of lift'forks pivotal-- ly and slidably mounted on said trunnions for supporting acoil, a linkage mechanisrnforcontrolling-the position of-said forks, a threaded member mounted tomove along" the threaded cylinder for. engaging said linkage-mechanism tohold said linkage andmaintain the* lift forks in a. horizontal position, and means for sliding said forks toward and away from each other along along said -trunnions to adjust the spacing therebetween.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES" PATENTS 49,897 Leavitt .Sept. 12,1865. 1,481,431 Plumb Ian. 22, 1924* 1,677,874 Smith July,17, 1928 1,956,398 Nullmeyer Apr. 24, 1934 2,808,948 Schonrock Oct. 8, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 531,076 Italy July 21, 1955 1,072,049 France- Mar. 10, 1954 

